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Super Bowl's Clydesdale foal hails from Mo. ranch

One of the stars of the Super Bowl telecast had nothing to do with the game itself and is just a few weeks old.

The baby Clydesdale seen in a well-received ad for Budweiser was born at a ranch in Boonville, Mo.

People at the ranch said things have quieted down since the foal was born in January. Two other Clydesdales, 8-month-old Punky and 2-year-old Bill, who appeared in the ad, were also originally from the Warm Springs Ranch.

"We are very excited about it," said Jeff Napper, the general manager of the Clydesdale operation. "It showcases Missouri and it showcases what we do as a company, and we are happy that the commercial was so well-received."

Punky and Bill now live at a farm near St. Louis.

The foal was expected to get a name Tuesday based on social media voting. ESPN's Darren Rovell sent a tweet late Monday to say the fans had voted to name the newborn "Hope." So many votes came in to honor the late Stan Musial that Budweiser named a second young Clydesdale "Stan."

Napper said the company got comments from viewers who said they were happy to see the Clydesdales back in Super Bowl ads. He said the idea for the ad had been in the works since October.

"We are the largest Clydesdale breeders in the world, and we have about 175 horses around the U.S. and we wanted to tell that story of our heritage and our tradition," he said. "We hope they see the care that we give the horses and the quality and pride we take in the horses and the company and heritage that Budweiser has."

He said the company released the ad early on Facebook and got a good response, suggesting that Super Bowl viewers were also likely to enjoy it.

"We thought we would have a good day on Sunday, and we were really pleased when we woke up," he said.